My Hero's Journey
“Follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacrifice, and, above all, don't let anyone limit your dreams” Donovan Bailey. This reminds me of what my great aunt would always say. She always had high expectations for us, but wanted us to do whatever we wanted and always supported us. We were very close so when she died, I was devastated. This experience has taught me to be strong and accept what life throws at me.
It was the Monday before Thanksgiving break, I was sitting in third hour reading a book and looking at the clock every few minutes, I was leaving school early to see my great aunt that day. After arriving home my mother summoned my older sister and I into the living room, she said to sit, she told the reason we were going
to see my great aunt. The humming of the car and the radio were the only sounds in the car, occasionally we spoke but laconic. We were approaching Stillwater but all I could think about was what my mom announced, my great aunt’s cancer and she wanted to see us. Pulling into the driveway, my mother told us to be strong for my great aunt and her children who are 18 and 21. We walked up the footsteps to the house, then went in. Everything felt different, the house use to be full of life, but now sullen. After the nurse left, we went to her room. I don’t know what I was expecting her to look like, but that was not it. She was sunken in the bed, she lost some weight, and was almost unrecognizable. I refrained from crying, but when I tried speaking nothing came out. When it was getting late my, sister and I left because we had school the next day. On Tuesday when I got home from school my sister told us that my great aunt died the last night after we got home. That Saturday was her funeral, she was wearing an orange African dress with a green floral pattern. She looked at peace.
This event taught me that at times you have to be strong and accept the things in life that we can’t change. Because if you don’t accept what happens it just makes life more difficult for you. The death taught me this because when she died all I could think about was the fact that I would not see her again, I did not feel like doing much because everything reminded me of her. I had to realize that she is gone and there is nothing that I can do about it. But positive and remembering all the good time we had, helped.
The event still affects me currently, I get recurring flashbacks of her on her bed, silent, and her face slightly contorted from the pain. I accept what has happened as they bury her, but I am now okay with her passing. I remember her being full of life, she was altruistic, and given the situation she was in she still continued to give back to others. This lesson of acceptance will help in the future because I will better accept that challenges and changes in life. In addition embrace the challenges I might face in the future.
It was the Monday before Thanksgiving break, I was sitting in third hour reading a book and looking at the clock every few minutes, I was leaving school early to see my great aunt that day. After arriving home my mother summoned my older sister and I into the living room, she said to sit, she told the reason we were going
to see my great aunt. The humming of the car and the radio were the only sounds in the car, occasionally we spoke but laconic. We were approaching Stillwater but all I could think about was what my mom announced, my great aunt’s cancer and she wanted to see us. Pulling into the driveway, my mother told us to be strong for my great aunt and her children who are 18 and 21. We walked up the footsteps to the house, then went in. Everything felt different, the house use to be full of life, but now sullen. After the nurse left, we went to her room. I don’t know what I was expecting her to look like, but that was not it. She was sunken in the bed, she lost some weight, and was almost unrecognizable. I refrained from crying, but when I tried speaking nothing came out. When it was getting late my, sister and I left because we had school the next day. On Tuesday when I got home from school my sister told us that my great aunt died the last night after we got home. That Saturday was her funeral, she was wearing an orange African dress with a green floral pattern. She looked at peace.
This event taught me that at times you have to be strong and accept the things in life that we can’t change. Because if you don’t accept what happens it just makes life more difficult for you. The death taught me this because when she died all I could think about was the fact that I would not see her again, I did not feel like doing much because everything reminded me of her. I had to realize that she is gone and there is nothing that I can do about it. But positive and remembering all the good time we had, helped.
The event still affects me currently, I get recurring flashbacks of her on her bed, silent, and her face slightly contorted from the pain. I accept what has happened as they bury her, but I am now okay with her passing. I remember her being full of life, she was altruistic, and given the situation she was in she still continued to give back to others. This lesson of acceptance will help in the future because I will better accept that challenges and changes in life. In addition embrace the challenges I might face in the future.